The present invention relates to the field of paint sprayers, more particularly to paint spray pumps having a gravity fed paint hopper to deliver paint to the pump. Some prior art systems did not have a convenient way to remove the hopper from the pump; consequently, during clean-up of the equipment after spraying water-based paint, the electric motor associated with the pump was undesirably subjected to water spray used to clean the hopper. Even if the user desired to remove the hopper from the pump for clean-up in such prior art systems, there typically was no convenient means to shut off paint from the hopper when the hopper was removed from the pump. Since the paint was fed from the hopper to the pump by gravity, removing the hopper would allow paint to leak from the hopper once the hopper outlet was separated from the pump inlet.